Frequently Asked Questions

Cristina wants you to have all the information requirer to take your next step; however, please understand that she receives a lot inquiries so kindly check out her FAQ section before emailing. If you have different or further questions about sharks, caves, diving and courses, please send her a message. Despite her busy schedule she does her best to personally respond in a timely manner.

Being in the Northen emisphere we are subject to the same season cycles. Although every time of the year is a good time to come and dive, there are some periods where the air temperature may not be ideal for beach life. Check out the average temperature charts for each month to decide.

No you can dive with Caribbean Reef Sharks any time of the year. If you are trying to plan a trip with different species of sharks, I recommend you check on the season of the other species and combine your trip based on that decision. My sharks will always be here to wait for you.

Please NOTE: I do not organize trips with the following sharks, but I receive a lot of requests on their seasons.

Tiger Sharks: the general season is listed as October through May, I recommend December through March

Hammerhead Sharks: short season, book well in advance, December through March, best January, and February

Oceanic White Tip: short season, book well in advance, February through April

Open Water level is sufficient. It is not about the level of certification, it’s about the comfort level you have in the water. You need to make sure you are comfortable with flooded mask, with removal and replacement of the regulator and mostly with your buoyancy.

The Shark Handling Experience and the Shark Handling Course are taught one on one. If you have an additional diver you would like to share the experience with let me know for a custom made package, to a maximum of two divers per course.

What should you expect in general? Well you can expect to be in the middle of a school of sharks, you can expect to either love it or hate it, or you can expect to enjoy it a little and end up loving it the most, you can expect to feel at home or to feel uncomfortable, you can expect to feel that this is the right place for you or not, that you want to feed or not, that you want to touch or not. it is a personal experience and you can expect to be extremely happy at the end of the day or simply satisfied. My suggestion is to come without expectations and with an open mind, ready to simply enjoy an experience that will remain yours for the rest of your life.

What results should we expect? Well, that is all depended on you. I will, with all my 20 years experience teaching over 300 students and over 50 professionals this kind of course, give you information, suggestions, tricks and tools to understand and work with the sharks in the best of ways. I will brief, debrief, explain, counsel and correct before, during and after the dive. I will assess and manage your inner feelings, motivations, blocks and fears (if any) and try to transform them in learning and positive energy, in a wonderful experience, in a growing and connecting moment. What should I expect from you? Your willingness to let go and listen, absorb what I say, trust my judgment, suggestions and sometime accept the No that I may say to you.

The shark handling course in a way is about you, and in a way it’s about the sharks. They will not sit in the classroom with us, nor on the boat while I talk to you, they will be down there being sharks. If you are willing to learn about them and let go of your barriers and you are not worrying about being the one who gets it, but simply being the one enjoying their presences, personalities and capabilities, then you are ready to take this course.

One last thing: be honest to yourself, no need to share with me, but be sure to be comfortable with your mask off your face, your regulator out of your mouth, salt water in your eyes and to have good control of your basic buoyancy. I will not test, but the sharks can make some situations uncomfortable if you are not at total ease in the water with small gear issues.